What it's really like to buy your own island

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You might think private islands are just for billionaires and Bond villains. But you could be your own Branson or Bear Grylls for less than the cost of a one-bedroom London flat.

The Norfolk Broads isn’t exactly the Caribbean, but it offers a similar level of peace and quiet, for much less cash. Here, you can buy a private island on the River Bute for £300,000. The island contains two thatched cottages, with enough mooring for 50 canoes, pedalos and rowing boats.

Current owner Roy Smith used to run a thriving boating business from the island with his wife, Doreen. “It originally belonged to the owners of the Coltishall Hall estate,” he says. “Eventually, it was sold to world ­champion powerboat...